Debris Removal Update from City Manager Brian Funderburk - 1/22/2016
Hi everyone, I wanted to take a moment to let you know that we are aware that the removal of the debris from the December 26th tornado is causing angst among our residents in the tornado zone. We originally estimated ten weeks to complete the debris removal, and our data shows that it will take at least that long. I’d like to share some information that may help you better understand why this isn’t a quick fix. First, ...the path of the tornado was about 3½ miles long with a debris field of ½ mile. This is significant. It affected 1,110 homes and 35 businesses.

Second, we estimate that the total amount of debris to be removed is about 290,000 cubic yards. Although it’s only been three weeks since the tornado, we’ve already removed about 110,000 cubic yards of debris. This means we have about 180,000 cubic yards of material left. Check out the photo on the City's Facebook page, or drive by the water tower on the southbound service road of the PGBT between Main and Miller, to see the amount of debris we’ve removed, it’s staggering.

For perspective, the estimate for Garland is about 100,000 cubic yards total, about 1/3 less than Rowlett. Garland has already removed 40,000 cubic yards and estimate that it will take a total of about six weeks to remove the entire 100,000 cubic yards of debris. Based on both Garland’s experience and our own, 10-12 weeks for us to complete our debris removal is very likely.

I understand what a difficult time this is for you and I appreciate your patience as we execute this plan. Rest assured every effort is being made to move forward as quickly and safely as possible so that together we can Rebuild Rowlett.
Brian Funderburk

24-Hour Curfew Lifted

Tuesday, December 29-8:00 A.M. - The City of Rowlett has lifted the curfew. There will still be restricted access where public works crews are actively clearing streets but we will no longer restrict access to other areas. Public safety staff will actively patrol and monitor. No roll off dumpsters or additional trash receptacles will be allowed yet, until we completely clear debris. The possibility exists that a second sweep of some areas will be necessary. We will make that determination by Monday.

Contractors must register at the City's Development Services Building, located at 3901 Main Street, and carry proof of this registration with them at all times. Exceptions are those supervised or contracted by the City for right-of-way response or vehicle extraction.

Public safety staff will be actively patrolling and monitoring.
A message from City Manager Brian Funderburk - 9:00 P.M. 12/28/2015
The National Weather Service has upgraded the tornado to an EF4. We continue to report 23 injuries and no fatalities.

At this point, we have assessed 1,000 homes in Rowlett with 854 impacted, damage is as follows:
• 220 Affected (very little damage)
• 298 Minor (many missing shingles, broken windows and doors but otherwise habitable)
• 188 Major (Structure is currently uninhabitable and extensive repair is required)
• 148 homes have been totally destroyed.

Power has been restored to more residents in east Rowlett, the official number without power has now dropped to 2,900. Oncor is onsite and still working around the clock.

The City has now moved into recovery mode and is clearing streets and right-of-ways of debris. This includes towing damaged vehicles, again in an effort to clear the streets. We are using Cathey Towing and Big Bass Towing. Of course, residents will not be charged for this towing since the City is initiating it and it is necessary for public safety.

We have received mutual aid for debris removal from many sister cities under our mutual aid agreement. This has allowed huge progress in 4 sections of the affected area. We believe we will have the streets clear of the first pass by the end of this week. Many of these same cities continue to provide emergency personnel for security and traffic. We couldn’t respond as quickly as we have without them and are extremely grateful for their support.

The Rowlett Community Centre, located at 5300 Main Street, has been established as the Disaster Field Office location to help connect residents with resources. Represented there will be the many churches in Rowlett offering assistance, along with national disaster relief organizations who are currently mobilizing here. Free access to telephones and wifi are also available.

We are encouraging those impacted to let friends and family know they are safe by entering their name at the Red Cross Safe and Well website: www.redcross.org/safeandwell. Concerned family and friends can then search the list of those who have registered themselves as “safe and well”.

The Rowlett Animal Shelter, located at 4402 Industrial, is still accepting displaced pets. Please call 972-412-6219 for information on lost or found pets. We have receive a huge donation of pet food and there is not currently a need for more. The shelter requests those who wish to donate wait two weeks and then make their donation, once current supplies have diminished.

The temporary shelter at Steadham Elementary is still in operation and is currently housing approximately 75 people.

The City water tower located on Martha Lane has been drained as a precautionary measure. Engineers will assess the tower tomorrow and make a determination on damage.

A message from City Manager Brian Funderburk - 8:00 A.M. 12/28/2015

Rowlett was hit by a large tornado on Saturday, December 26. The National Weather Service has classified the tornado as an EF3. Based on assessments made by ground personnel, damage is significant and our hearts go out to our residents who have been hit.

We continue to report only 23 injuries and no fatalities.

At this point, we have assessed 1,000 homes in Rowlett with 854 impacted, damage is as follows:
• 220 Affected
• 298 Minor
• 188 Major
• 148 homes have been totally destroyed.

As of this morning, about 4,900 homes were still without power. Oncor has teams in Rowlett working on restoring power and are receiving additional resources now.

The City has now moved into recovery mode and will begin clearing streets and right-of-ways of debris.

We want to stress that the curfew in the affected areas will remain in effect. Only emergency personnel and residents will be allowed in the area and only if it is safe. We are asking non- emergency personnel to stay out of Rowlett. We still need the roadways clear for emergency and recovery operations.

We have received considerable requests asking where to send donations. The Red Cross has established a location at 3700 Chaha for affected residents to receive assistance. Local Rowlett relief organization, Life Message (located at 4501 Rowlett Road), also has received considerable donations of goods, clothing and food to share with those impacted. If people want to make donations, we are asking that they contact the Red Cross at www.redcross.org In addition, there are several local churches who are collecting donations including First United Methodist, First Christian Church and First Baptist Church in Rowlett and Lakepointe Church in Rockwall.

Mayor Gottel would like to encourage those impacted to let friends and family know they are safe by entering their name at the Red Cross Safe and Well website: www.redcross.org/safeandwell. Concerned family and friends can then search the list of those who have registered themselves as “safe and well”.

The Rowlett Animal Shelter, located at 4402 Industrial, will open at 10:00 AM and is accepting displaced pets. Citizens who have either lost an animal or found one are encouraged to call 972-412-6219 for information.

A message from City Manager Brian Funderburk - 12:00 P.M. 12/27/2015As you know, Rowlett was hit by a large tornado last night. The National Weather Service has classified the tornado as an EF3. Based on assessments made by ground personnel, we know the damage will be significant and our hearts go out to our residents who have been hit.

Rowlett emergency personnel along with other agencies are beginning to wind down. We have now had a complete property by property assessment by the Texas Task Force Teams and Citizens Emergency Response Teams. We are cautiously optimistic that there are no other residents trapped or injured. As a result, we continue to report only 23 injuries and no fatalities.

At this point, we have assessed 513 homes in Rowlett. Make note that this is not the entire list:

• 79 no category or damage

• 12 Affected

• 155 Minor

• 187 Major

• 80 homes have been totally destroyed.

As of 4:00 pm, about 6,000 homes, primarily on the eastern side of Rowlett were still without power. Oncor has teams in Rowlett working on restoring power and are receiving additional resources now.

We want to stress that the curfew in the affected areas will remain in effect tonight. Only emergency personnel and residents will be allowed in the area and only if it is safe. We are asking non- emergency personnel to stay out of Rowlett. We need the roadways clear for emergency operations.

We have received considerable requests asking where to send donations. At this time, the Red Cross has established a location at 3700 Chaha for affected residents to receive assistance. If people want to make donations, we are asking that they contact the Red Cross at www.redcross.org. In addition, there are several other local churches who are collecting donations including First United Methodist in Rowlett and Lakepointe Church in Rockwall.

The Rowlett Animal Shelter, located at 4402 Industrial, is open and accepting displaced pets until 9:00pm tonight. Citizens who have either lost an animal or found one are encouraged to call 972-412-6219 for information.

A message from City Manager Brian Funderburk - 12:00 P.M. 12/27/2015

As you know, Rowlett was hit by a large tornado last night. The National Weather Service has classified the tornado as an EF3. In the light of the day, we can now begin to see the impact this storm has had and it is nothing short of catastrophic. Rowlett emergency personnel along with other agencies continue to work the most severely damaged areas. In addition, we have trained volunteers from the ...Citizens Emergency Response Team and other agencies assessing damage.

At this point, we have identified the following. Make note that we expect the numbers to be higher:
• 42 Affected
• 38 Minor
• 22 Major
• 39 homes have been totally destroyed.

At this time, we still have only 23 reported injuries. We do not know the extent of those injuries or the status.

As of 11:00 am, about 6,000 homes, primarily on the eastern side of Rowlett were still without power. Oncor has teams in Rowlett working on restoring power.

A temporary shelter has been set up at Steadham Elementary at 6200 Dandridge in Rowlett. The Red Cross and Salvation Army are on hand at that location to assist.

The City of Rowlett has established a 24-hour curfew in the affected areas. Only emergency personnel and residents will be allowed in the area and only if it is safe. We want to stress that we need the roads for emergency personnel. We are asking non- emergency personnel to stay out of Rowlett. We need the roadways clear for emergency operations.

We have received considerable requests asking where to send donations. At this time, if people want to make donations, we are asking that they contact the Red Cross at www.redcross.org. We are in the process of coordinating a donation location for hard goods and will post that information on our website when available.

The Rowlett Animal Shelter, located at 4402 Industrial, is open and accepting displaced and found pets. Citizens who have either lost an animal or found one are encouraged to call 972-412-6219 for information.

A message from City Manager Brian Funderburk - 7:00 A.M. 12/27/2015Last night, at about 7:00 pm, the City of Rowlett, sustained a direct hit from a large tornado. Since the tornado struck, Rowlett emergency personnel and staff, along with other agencies have been engaged in search and rescue efforts, assisting residents, and securing neighborhoods. Damage is widespread but the most seriously damaged areas are in the southeastern quadrant of the City.

At this time, we have 23 reported injuries. We do not know the extent of those injuries or the status.

As of this morning, about 6,000 homes, primarily on the eastern side of Rowlett were still without power. Oncor has teams in Rowlett working on restoring power.

A temporary shelter has been set up at Steadham Elementary at 6200 Dandridge in Rowlett. The Red Cross and Salvation Army are on hand at that location to assist.

The City of Rowlett has established a 24-hour curfew in the affected areas. Only emergency personnel and residents will be allowed in the area and only if it is safe. We want to stress that we need the roads for emergency personnel. We are asking non- emergency personnel to stay out of Rowlett. We need the roadways clear for emergency operations.

We have received numerous requests for people wanting to help and donate items. Once we have confirmed the details, we will post information on our City website Rowlett.com.

Another update will be provided at noon today at the Rowlett City Hall at 4000 Main Street.